Matteo Cancellieri Demonstrates Brief Sparks of Exceptional Talent in Silver Lining for Struggling Lazio
The feeling at Lazio's home ground was decidedly gloomy during the weekend fixture. The home side was losing against Torino, a side that had conceded ten goals while scoring only two in their previous five league matches. Fans from the Curva Nord were wrapping up their latest protest in a continuous dispute with chairman Claudio Lotito.
A Season Unraveling?
Was Lazio's season unraveling, or had there never been a binding element holding it together in the first place? They reappointed Maurizio Sarri as head coach in the summer transfer window, only for him publicly stated that the club had not mentioned a registration embargo they were facing for financial irregularities. Speculation that he could resign were unfounded, but he stated that Lotito had "deceived" him.
The Roman club appeared equally disorganized during matches as they were off it, beating Verona 4-0 and Genoa 3-0 but losing the rest of their initial five matches, which included the capital clash. At any given moment, it's been difficult to determine if they are improving or self-destructing.
Cancellieri's Unforeseen Return
A single player continued to smile throughout. Matteo Cancellieri had not been expected to remain with Lazio this season. He spent the previous campaign at Parma as a loanee and, during the summer break, Lazio were pushing for him to remain there temporarily. The registration embargo led to a change of plans. They were unable to weaken their team with no new signings.
He joined originally under Sarri's first spell, then a 20-year-old alumnus of Verona's academy. He accumulated 20 league appearances for Lazio in that campaign, almost all of those as a substitute. The club's longtime sporting director, Igli Tare, who departed after that campaign, later stated Sarri of "informing all Cancellieri had superstar potential but then not selecting him."
Discovering His Natural Fit
It's possible the coach was continuing to attempt to identify the specific characteristics of his skill set. Labeled as a flank player upon signing, Cancellieri nevertheless spent most of that campaign as an unconvincing alternative to Ciro Immobile in the striker role. During 63 outings while playing for Empoli and Parma during recent campaigns, he netted seven goals. Shoehorn